Hollywood Faces Recreation, Police And Fire Cuts

HOLLYWOOD — The city`s proposed 1985-86 budget, set for final approval Mondaynight, outlines a series of service reductions that will touch the lives of nearly every citizen of Hollywood.

Cuts are being made in three heavily demanded services: recreation, police and fire.

However, City Manager James Chandler said, the service reductions won`t be as drastic as some residents fear.

Chandler said the city has kept services that are most important to citizens.

Furthermore, even with the budget reductions, the city will be able to shift personnel if demands for extra services arise, he said.

Commissioners have agreed so far with Chandler`s reasoning. They unanimously approved his budget proposal last Thursday and are likely to give final approval after a public hearing Monday at 6 p.m. in city commission chambers.

Under the city`s proposed budget, the following areas are affected:

RECREATION

Operating hours at the city`s seven recreation centers will be reduced by nearly 20 percent, from a total of 478 hours a week to 386 hours a week.

As a result, Saturday-night dances at the Polk Street Senior Center have been eliminated. Wednesday-night dances will continue.

Saturday programs previously provided by city workers at the Driftwood Center, Montella Park, Beverly Park and Polk Street Senior Center will be dropped.

Sunday programs provided at Washington Park and the Northeast Center have been eliminated.

The cuts have come about because the city is eliminating six full-time recreational leader posts, for a savings of $71,000, Chandler said. The work will now be divided among 18 part-time recreational leaders.

Outdoor fields still will be available for informal games, even though the amount of supervision provided by the city will be reduced.

Fees charged for recreation services will increase 10 percent.

``These cuts aren`t chiseled in stone,`` Chandler said. ``By using part-time employees, we have the flexibility to shift employees and go to where the greatest demand is.``

Still, the No. 1 worry of citizens is reductions in recreation, according to City Commissioner Suzanne Gunzburger.

``In some cases, these reductions are going to hurt,`` Gunzburger said.

POLICE

The city`s ability to send undercover officers into problem areas and establish speed traps will be reduced.

Five posts in the department`s Tact Unit are being eliminated, leaving 31 officers to perform the undercover detail.

The unit has been successful in reducing drug dealings on the beach, halting purse snatching in a variety of areas and reducing the number of muggings downtown.

Four of eight motorcycle officers are being transferred to other duties, leaving 14 officers on road patrol.

The reduction, Chandler said, means ``selective enforcement,`` commonly known as speed traps, will be diminished.

Also targeted for cuts are five of the city`s 25 Community Service Officers, who perform such tasks as writing accident reports and taking the statements of crime victims.

A number of citizens questioned how the city can reduce its police force at a time when crime is on the upswing.

``We`re living in a rat`s nest down here and you`re making it much worse,`` Vincent Dondero told Chandler last week. ``If you take police off the street, we`re finished.``

Through the first six months of 1985, the number of serious crimes has increased 5 percent. However, the crime rate is still lower than in previous years, Chandler said, when the city bolstered its police force with dozens of extra officers.

Under Chandler`s proposal, the city will have 285 officers, 60 more than 10 years ago.

``Some services will be reduced, but the department will still be able to get the job done,`` police union President Jeff Morano said. ``We see this more as a management problem than a labor problem.``

FIRE

Seven firefighting posts have been eliminated, sparking fears that the city will be unable to provide adequate protection of life and property.

Chandler and Fire Chief Jim Ward disagreed and said that even with the cuts, the department has 67 more employees than a decade ago.

Of the seven cuts, two -- one training officer and one store clerk -- will be replaced by civilians.

The other five equal one firefighter position on a back-up truck at Station One in downtown. Five firefighters are needed to fill one post seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

Firefighter union Vice President Russ Chard said the reduction will severely hinder the department`s ability to respond to fires.

``It`s not sufficient for safe manning levels,`` Chard said. ``We don`t have enough people to do the job now. On a per capita basis, we have fewer firefighters than other cities in South Florida.``

Initially, the cutbacks required the layoffs of seven firefighters hired since last October. However, two firefighters have since resigned, allowing two others to return to work.

Cindy Mansker Metcalf, the city`s first female firefighter, is next in line to be called back to work, Ward said.